If you have just started weight training, or have found yourself with an injury from hitting the gym, you should know that there are seven common reasons we see people with sports injuries following weights training. But there are injury prevention strategies you can use.

1. Incorrect Technique

Incorrect technique is the cause of most weight-training injuries. If your technique is poor, it’s very easy to pull, rip, or tear muscle or connective tissue. Our body parts have highly specific biomechanical pathways, which is why your arms and legs have a limited range of movement. When in the gym, don’t twist, turn or contort while training with weights. Learn and always follow the correct technique. If you can’t do it with the correct technique, then it’s better to miss the workout.

2. Excess Weight

You stand at a high risk of injury if you are working out with too much weight. You know you are training with excess weight if you find it difficult to control a weight on the loading and downward trajectory; when you need to jerk or heave before you can lift a weight; if it's impossible to complete a movement within its biomechanical boundaries. Keep the weight within your abilities and make changes gradually.

3. Insufficient Warm-up

A warm-up is a workout used to improve circulation in the muscles. It makes the muscles more flexible and mobile. Skipping the warm-up increases your risk of injury. Some of the best warm-up exercises include jogging, riding a stationary bike, stair climbing, swimming, and specific high-rep weight training.

4. Forgetting to Stretch

Stretching shouldn’t be confused with warm-up. A correct stretch relaxes and lengthens the muscles after a warm-up, and after training with weights. Stretching makes the muscles flexible and alert neurologically, which is when it can best resist injuries. You can also improve muscle mass by stretching between sets. In addition, performing muscle-specific stretches after workouts can help to prevent soreness the next day.

5. Using a bad spotter

A spotter is a person who helps to keep an eye on you when you start lifting weights for longer sets. A good spotter should be strong enough to help the lifter complete a rep when it seems he is going to fail, and should always be alert and sensitive to every hint of failure. If your spotter is not attentive when the weight is collapsing on you, you are going to get injured. So make sure your spotter knows the role, and that you trust them.

6. Overtraining

Are you obsessed with the gym? Even if you are passionate about weight training, overtraining drains energy from you and slows your progress. It makes it harder for your muscles and nervous system to recover and increases the risk of injury.

7. Poor Nutrition

If your body doesn’t get the required nutrition and you continue to train hard, you are likely to develop injuries. Poor diet weakens your body and reduces your energy levels, and you are likely to get hurt if you perform heavy training in this state. Eat enough, and eat the kinds of foods that are going to properly fuel your body and mind.

Injury prevention for weights training involves a lot of common sense: complete adequate warm-up exercises before training, use the correct technique and amount of weights at the gym, stretch between sets and after training, use a good spotter, don’t over train and look after your nutrition.

Do you want to know more or do you need our help? We aim to provide clearer, faster, longer results for your total care. Train smart, recover smarter, and get back to doing LIFE! Get in contact with us today if you need help assistance with your weight training injuries.